Without a warning
by carmineglover
Summary: Danny made a mistake and lindsay leaves without so much as a goodbye to him. What happens when they meet two years later?
1. chapter 1

Hey guys so this is my first ever fanfic although i have been in love with both Danny and Lindsay for ages. Please read and review. Tell me what you think.

Chapter 1

Lindsay Monroe watched as her son ran around the huge playground in their favourite park. Aidan Daniel Messer was the definition of cute. Despite being two, he had his mother and all her friends in Boston wrapped around his pinky finger. Not to mention the fact that he was also the most protected boy, in most probably, the whole world.

"Mama, mama, 'ook at me," Aidan shrieked while playing. Lindsay smiled at him as he gave her the unfamous Messer grin that he inherited from his father.

Aidan was truly the spitting image of his father. From the dirty blonde hair to his gorgeous sky blue eyes. The only thing that was not inherited from his father was his little nose. That was exactly like his mother's. His very own Messer grin could make Lindsay and everyone else cave and give into his every want. The only other people, outside Boston, who knew about Aidan were his Godparents, Mac Taylor and Stella Bonesara, Lindsay's ex-collegues from New York. Even Aidan's own father didn't know about him.

Being two and the son of trained detectives, Aidan was always questioning everything. Lindsay thought back to that very morning when Aidan questioned her about his father. Lindsay was taken aback. She didn't know what to say. Sure she knew that this conversation would come up eventually but she didn't expect it to be so soon. She wasn't prepared.

She sat there, blinking and gaping down at him, trying to find an answer to satisfy him.Shaking her head and trying to focus, she decided to change the subject, opting instead to bring him to play in the park. He happily obliged, momentarily forgetting about the subject, and rushed to his shoes. Lindsay let out a breath that she hadn't realised that she'd been holding, happy that she'd dodged the subject for now.

So there she sat, watching her son play around the slide. Her attention and gaze were fixated on Aidan but her thoughts were plagued by Aidan's look a like, his father, the one and only Daniel Messer.


	2. Chapter 2

Hope you guys liked the first chapter. Second one coming right up.

Chapter 2

 ** _(Flashback 2 years ago...)_** Lindsay Monroe and Danny Messer walked hand in hand through the ever-so-amazing New York Crime Lab. They went straight to the locker room to deposit all their things in their side-by-side lockers. "Well Montana, time to work. Hopefully we'll get the same case." Danny said. Although they were partners, Danny and Lindsay very rarely got to work a case together. Although they knew that they shouldn't, they both always get slightly disappointed when they were on different cases.

They decided that it was time to turn on the Detectives Danny Messer and Lindsay Monroe side of them and turn off the Danny Messer and Lindsay Monroe, boyfriend and girlfriend side. Putting on their badges and strapping their guns to their holsters, they walked into Mac Taylor's office for their latest case assignment.

There, they met the rest of the team that consisted of Stella Bonesara, Sheldon Hawkes, Adam Ross and Don Flack Jr. "Ok guys, time for assignments. Stella, you get the murder up in Queens, Danny and Lindsay, you get the BE in Brooklyn and Hawkes, you're with me. We're headed to Manhattan for a triple murder. Ok, off you go."

Danny and Lindsay were elated. It had been almost a month since they had worked on a case together. "Finally we get to work together," they both thought. They went to their shared office to grab their kits and headed to the crime scene, hoping that they would be stuck with Flack and not some other stupid homicide detective.

Arriving at the scene, they walked up to the house to see someone throwing their guts up at a trashbin nearby. "Enough with the puking Murray, pull up your big boy pants and deal with it. Bring us up to speed with the case," Danny said with her smirk. He looked over at Lindsay who was also sprouting her very own Monroe grin. "It's brutal, absolutely brutal. The stupid asshole showed no mercy. Worse case I've ever seen in all my years," Officer Murray complained.

Danny stole a glance at Lindsay and they simultaneously took in a deep breath and decided to see for themselves what Murray was talking about. Hand in hand, they started to walk.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Upon entering the house, the coppery smell of blood overwhelmed the both of them. Lindsay suddenly stood still and took deep breaths, hoping that the wave of nausea that she felt would disappear. Danny turned around, feeling a tug on his hand.

"You okay Montana?" he asked, concern filling his blue eyes.

Smiling, she replied, "I'll be fine cowboy. Don't worry about it. Let's just start processing and get it over with." Seeing the determined look on her face, he knew that she had made up her mind.

Lindsay pursed her lips, took a deep breath and walked into the living room. Danny knew better than to argue with her when she got like this. Letting it slide for now, he followed her and took in the sight of the macabre scene in front of them.

The victim, who was merely a teenager, lay face down in her own blood. Her blood was also spattered all over the room.

The entire living room was ransacked. Nothing was in the right place. There was a broken television, coffee table, her couch was upside down and the entire carpet was covered in blood.

Upon closer inspection, it was evident that the victim had gone through a severe beating. Her face and skull were bashed in and there were multiple lacerations on her hands and legs. She also had strangulation marks on her neck and defensive wounds all over her body.

Glancing over at Lindsay, Danny could see the horror that she oh-so-carefully tried to mask on her face. Sensing her need for support, he reached over and encased her smaller hand in his. He gently squeezed her hand, hoping to channel some comfort to her through his hand.

They soon started processing and after a few hours were done. They met up with Officer Murray at the foot of the doorstep. He relayed the information that he got from the witnesses around the neighbourhood.

"As usual, there isn't really much to go on, considering that all of a sudden, people don't see or hear nothin'," Murray sighed.

The frustration was not only coming from him but the two crime scene investigators too. They only had one and a half bags of evidence.

"Not much fingerprints, no murder weapon, not much DNA and a whole lotta blood from the vic," Danny relayed. "Hopefully we can find some foreign DNA and nail this guy," Danny said trying to be optimistic.

The frustration was still thick in the car ride back to the lab. They hauled all the evidence up to be stowed away and went to get a strong cup of coffee and a bite to eat from the breakroom.

They each got a snack and a drink and plonked down on the couch.

Lindsay rested her head on Danny's shoulder as he put his arm around her, both needing the comfort of the other. After a while of basking in each other's comfort, they decided to get back to work.


	4. chapter 4

Hey guys sorry for not updating for a while. School's been hectic with end of year exams. But i'm back and i'll try and post more frequently. Here's the next chapter. Read and review please.

Chapter 4

Although the both of them were hoping to wrap the case up as soon as possible, the higher powers had other plans for them. Both Danny and Lindsay had been working the case for a week and it was starting to affect them - badly. The stress had gotten to Lindsay worse, causing her to get a horrible stomach bug, reducing her ability to work.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing that went wrong - the DNA they collected got no match in CODIS and most of the fingerprints they collected had no match in AFIS. A set of prints however had gotten a perfect match in the system. However, the Gods seemed to want to torture them as their prime suspect went missing.

Despite her sickness, Lindsay was too determined to catch the killer for the family of the victim. Having experienced losing loved ones before, Lindsay knew how it felt like to not get any answers. After the third day of throwing up her stomach contents each time she ate, Danny told her to take it easy. Being the stubborn country girl that she was, though, she turned a deaf ear to everything Danny said.

Being her boyfriend of almost a year, Danny knew Lindsay well enough to know that pushing any further would just piss her off and cause her to clam up.

After days of non-stop work, they managed to close the case, causing both Danny and Lindsay to sigh with relief.

Normally after work - especially after closing a hard case - they would head to Danny's place, make dinner together or get some take out and curl up together on his couch with a movie. When Danny went to pick her up though, he got an answer that he didn't expect. Lindsay told him that she just wanted to go back to her place that night.

Trying to mask the shock on his face he didn't argue with her. instead allowing her to go on one condition - that he would drop her off at home. Piling in his car, they drove off to Lindsay's apartment complex.

Once there, Lindsay gave him the quickest peck on the lips she'd ever given him and hurried to alight from his car. His voice, however, stopped her in her tracks. " G'night babe. Sleep tight" he wished her. He waited until he saw the light of her living room window to turn off before driving of, wondering what in the world was wrong with his girlfriend.

Lindsay bounded up the stairs to her third floor apartment. She could feel the weight of the object in her purse. The object that could change her life fumbled with the keys and lock, her hands trembling slightly at the possible outcome.

After finally being able to open her front door, she felt the nausea creeping up her throat. Despite her little white lie to Danny that her nausea had subsided, she still felt it once in a while.

She dropped he purse and her keys on the floor near the front door and rushed to the bathroom. She heaved up her stomach contents in the toilet and sat there, ensuring that the sensation was gone before even thinking about getting up. She laid on the cold, and surprising soothing, floor while the nausea passed.

After an eternity, or so it seemed, she got up to get the object from her purse, knowing that it was time to just brave her fears. Taking it out of her purse, she took a deep breath and headed to the bathroom to confirm her suspicions.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys sorry for not posting for so long. I had to move house and it was a long process cause of school too but now i'm back and ready to update. I got feedback that my chapters should be longer so i'm working on that. Hopefully they'll be longer soon. Please rate and review and give me feedback on how to improve and whether you guys like it or not. Love you guys.

Chapter 5

Waking up the next morning Lindsay went through everything that was on her mind. She had to tell Danny - that much she knew. She just did'nt know how to. She needed time to process everything that was going on without disturbance.

She got up from the bed and that's when everything went wrong. The nausea hit her like a truck and she ran to the bathroom, throwing her guts out.

"This has been the worst one yet," she thought as she lay down on the floor and waited for the nausea to pass. Once it subsided, she got up and walked to her night stand where she kept her phone. She knew that she wouldn't be able to work properly and decided to call in sick.

Mac was really understanding and gave her the day off. Lindsay knew that it was partly due to the fact that she hardly ever took days off. She took a deep breath and went to make herself some breakfast, hoping to satisfy her hunger.

Lindsay spent the rest of the day just lazing around in her apartment. Mainly she just sat on the couch watching whatever was on TV and eating chips. She threw up again after eating her breakfast and she felt like she was going crazy with all the vomiting.

Around noon, Lindsay's phone rang. Praying that it wasn't Mac, she picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID. She saw the cheeky grin that Danny was sprouting in the background photo that he had set. "Shit," she thought after seeing his name. She had been so caught up in being sick that calling Danny to tell him that she was sick completely slipped her mind. That and the fact that she didn't really want to talk to him at that point in time.

"Hey Danny," Lindsay said after picking up the phone. "Hey Montana," she heard Danny say, his voice laced with concern.

"Are you alright? You didn't show up for work today and you didn't call me. I got worried," he said. "Yeah Dan i'm fine. Really. I just don't feel good enough to work. It's just a simple cold that's all," she replied.

"Ok then. Hey can you stop by later?" Danny asked. "Why, what's up." Lindsay asked him.

"Well we haven't really spent much time together recently and i just miss you. I thought that maybe we could grab some take out and watch whatever game is on or something. Please don't say no." he answered her. " Ok alright. I'll be there around 4. See you then cowboy," Lindsay said hanging up.

She knew it was a bad idea to talk to him before thinking it through first but she couldn't help it. She missed him too. Lindsay knew in her heart that she loved him. Although none of them had said it to each other before, she was pretty sure that Danny loved her too. " He'll be fine. He'll stand by me," she told herself.

Lindsay looked down at her watch. Realising that it was only 3.30, she sighed. She was standing in front of Danny's apartment complex. She decided to just ignore the fact that she was early and just have a fun time with her boyfriend.

She used the key that Danny gave her and let herself into the building. Seeing that the elevator was broken, she sighed and trudged up the stairs to his fourth storey apartment. Being sick already and having to climb up the stairs, she was about ready to collapse by the time she was at the peak of the four flights. She walked the short distance to his apartment and sighed with relief when she saw the sign "4C", indicating Danny's apartment.

Taking a few deep breaths to compose herself as she had planned on telling Danny what she had found out the other day, she put his key in the lock and turned the knob.

"Babe i'm..." Lindsay started as she rounded the corner of his kitchen to his living room. However, the sight she saw stopped her in her tracks. What she saw brought tears to her eyes and caused her heart to shatter into a million pieces.

She stood there with tears running down her face. She was stuck, rooted to the ground, watching her boyfriend and the love of her life in the arms of another woman.

When Danny saw her, he quickly pushed the woman of him and tried to get to Lindsay. "Linds, baby, this is not what it looks like," he tried to explain. One look in her eyes and Danny could see how much he had hurt her. She turned around and left, not bothering to listen to his lame-ass excuses.

 **Thanks for reading.R &R plsssssss.**


	6. Chapter 6

Hey this is the next chapter. Please be patient with me with the postings cause its my hols now and my parents have lots of plans on places to go so i may not have that much time to post. I'll try my best though. Remember to rate and review plssss.

Chapter 6

Lindsay couldn't seem to wrap her mind around it. Was what she saw in Danny's apartment real? Or was she just hallucinating?

She just couldn't understand it. One minute her life was going quite well. She was actually happy. But the next, her entire world turned upside down.

She had to take deep breaths in order to calm herself down a little, knowing that getting upset at that very moment would make things worse.

Lindsay wiped off the river of tears that had started streaming down her cheeks after leaving his place. She tried to maintain the ounce of control in her body. What she had seen there, however, refused to leave her mind.

Inside Danny's apartment was a tall, bleach blonde girl wearing the tightest and shortest piece of clothing that Lindsay had ever seen in her life. Although she had only gotten a glimpse of her face, Lindsay could tell that the girl was wearing a ton of make up to hide her beautiful but aging face.

However, that was not what killed her. Lindsay could handle it if she was just there. What she couldn't handle was what that girl was doing. She had those lips of hers locked with Danny's.

When she closed her eyes, she could still see him with his hands on her shoulders, kissing her.

The thought just brought more tears to her eyes. She tried with every fibre of her being to prevent them from rolling down her cheeks, to no avail.

Lindsay didn't like to cry. She always had to be strong and she always felt ashamed to show the weak side of her.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of Stella's apartment door, hands poised, ready to rap her knuckles on it.

She needed a friend. She needed someone to talk to. She needed to share her problems with someone. And most importantly, she needed a friendly shoulder to cry on.

Without a second thought, she rapped her knuckles on the door and waited. After a while of standing there, she started to think that Stella probably had something better to do than play babysitter.

Just as she was turing to leave, she heard the click of a lock. She turned back to face the door just as she saw it open.

Upom seeing the tears streaming down the younger woman's face, Stella pulled Lindsay into a tight hug and brought her into the apartment to sit on the couch.

"What happened kiddo?" Stella asked, adding her nickname for her friend to try and calm her down. Not seeing even a tiny smile on Lindsay's face, Stella started to worry.

"D-d-danny, h-he, he cheated on me Stell," Lindsay choked out before a fresh wave of tears formed in her eyes.

Seeing Stella's confused and shocked face, Lindsay would have laughed if not for the circumstances. Figuring that the truth would help her comprehend what was just said, Lindsay relayed everything she saw to Stella.

Stella just sat there, burning with anger as she listened to everything that Danny had done to her best friend. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind, wanted to kill him even but decided to focus on the sobbing woman on her couch first.

"It gets worse Stell," Lindsay peeped out. Looking at the confused expression Stella was sprouting on her face, she elaborated, "I'm pregnant."

Read and review pls...


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys. So i will try my best to upload as much as i can next year but i have a major exam coming up so i may not post that frequently. Until then, however, i'll post as much as i can. I'm also going to be starting on a new story so please read that one too. It should come up soon. Ok so here goes...

Chapter 7

Stella was dumbfounded. Did she hear Lindsay correctly? Maybe she didn't. "Linds, what did you say?" she questioned, praying that what she had heard was wrong.

"I'm pregnant Stel," Lindsay clarified before bursting into tears.

Stella stared at Lindsay, wide eyed. She didn't know what to say. She regained her composure enough to ask Lindsay one of the pressing questions going through her mind.

"D-d-does Danny know? Is it Danny's?" Stella managed to choke out.

Hearing Stella's second question, shock took over Lindsay's person. "Of course it's Danny's Stel. Who else would it be? And no, he doesn't know. I don't plan on telling him anyway. Not like he'd wanna know," Lindsay answered her before a fresh set of tears fell from her eyes.

"Oh honey..." Stella mumbled. She pulled the younger woman into her arms and stroked her hair, trying to calm her down.

The only thing that was going through Stella's mind at that point in time was how she was going to kill the man that caused her best friend so much hurt, friend or not.

A knock on the door broke the both of them out of their respective reveries.

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Danny knew it. He shouldn't have let _her_ into his apartment. He just knew it. He felt it in his gut the minute he saw her through the peephole of his door.

He should have just listened to it. He should have known that she'd make a move on him. And now, just because he didn't listen to himself, he might just lose the one person that meant everything to him.

He had tried though. He tried everything that he could to let her know that he wasn't even in the least bit interested. She, however, was completely oblivious to everything.

When she kissed him, he was taken aback. He knew that he should have expected it but for some reason he was still surprised when her lips collided with his.

He grabbed her shoulders to push her away. He needed to get her out of the apartment before Lindsay arrived.

Obviously, though, the Gods had other plans for him. His heart shattered when he saw her. She looked so broken. He felt his heart sink.

It hurt him, more than anything, to know that he had put that expression on her face. He just wanted to put his arms around her and let her know that everything was ok. He needed to explain what happened to her.

She left though. Before he could explain. Of course, he couldn't blame her. It was all his fault. He needed her to know the truth and hope that she'd forgive him.

He could hear her sobbing as she left the apartment. When he came back, he saw her. The girl that had ruined something so precious to him.

All he saw was red. He all but threw her out of his apartment.

He knew Lindsay all too well. He knew that if something bad happened, the first person she'd go to - apart from him - was Stella.

He grabbed is keys and left, hoping that it wasn't too late. He didn't want to lose her. He couldn't lose her.

So there he stood, outside of Stella's apartment. He knew that when Stella heard what had happened, she would be ready to kill him.

Feeling that explaining everything to Lindsay would be more important to him than his own demise, he raised his hand to knock on the door.

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Stella opened the door to her apartment to see the last person she wanted to see at that very moment. In front of her stood Danny with his arms poised in front of him to protect himself from any bodily harm Stella would inflict upon him.

Before she said anything to him though she folded her arms, fearing that she might strangle him if he gave her the wrong answers.

"What in the world are you doing here Daniel? Haven't you already done enough damage?" Stella questioned, not saying too much for fear that she might accidentally blurt out Lindsay's secret.

"I need to see Lindsay Stell, please. She has to know what actually happened. Please Stell, I can't lose her. I just can't," he said, a few tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Danny you really hurt her. You can't just waltz in here and expect her to talk to you and for everything to be alright." Stella said. She sympathized with him. She really did. But what he did was hard to forget.

"I screwed up Stell. I know. Just give me a chance to fix it. Please," he pleaded. He knew that if he wanted to talk to Lindsay,he needed to get past Stella first.

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Lindsay knew it was him. She could hear that ever-so-distinct Staten Island accent that was uniquely Danny. She knew that she should say something. She eavesdropped on the conversation happening not too far away from her.

 _"She has to know what actually happened,"_ she heard him say. She couldn't take it. She could not, would not, just sit there and listen to his lies.

She saw him. She saw him with her own two eyes with that girl. There was nothing - absolutely nothing - that he could say that would make her forgive him. She had had enough. Pushing herself off the couch, she went to give him a piece of her mind.

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Danny saw Lindsay walking towards them over Stella's shoulder. He hoped that she would want to talk to him as much as he wanted to talk to her.

"Montana..." he started but was cut off by Lindsay yelling at him.

"No you don't get to talk. You listen to me Danny. There is nothing. Absolutely nothing that you can say to me that I want to hear. Did you ever think about how I'd feel? How hurt and heartbroken i'd be? I trusted you. I gave you my heart. And you, you threw that all away. I should have listened to everyone. I shouldn't have started dating you in the first place. I thought you had changed. But i was wrong. You're a jerk Danny and we are done. I can't stay here and see you everyday. I'm going to get a transfer. Don't call me, text me or try to contact me in any way. I'm not going back to Montana and I am NOT going to tell you where I'm going. Goodbye Danny," Lindsay said.

And with that she stomped out of Stella's apartment, pushing past Danny. He turned to follow her but was stopped by a small yet firm hand on his bicep. He didn't know what to do. He had lost the one person that mattered the most to there was no way he was getting her back. All because of one silly mistake.

Lindsay went straight to the lab and put in the transfer request with Mac. She tried to stay strong but with Mac's caring composure, she found herself breaking down on him and telling him everything. She then went home to try and get some sleep.

Within a week, Lindsay was on a plane to Boston to start anew. No Danny, no worries. Just her and the baby growing in her belly

 **(END OF FLASHBACK)**

Please rate and review...


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys sorry i haven't been publishing in a while. I've been trying to adapt to being in secondary 4. But i'm here now and i'll try my best to post more frequently. Love u guys!!!

Chapter 8

Lindsay was brought out of her reverie by the shrill ring of her phone. Trying to regain her normal breathing pace after getting slightly startled by her phone, she glanced down at the caller ID.

She smiled after seeing the goofy picture of her current boyfriend and partner at the lab, Mason Fray.

Apparently she had a thing for people she worked with.

"Hey Mase, where are you?" she chirped happily into the phone. "You still coming over for dinner at my place right?"

"Hey Linds, of course i'm still coming. I wouldn't want to miss out spending time with my lovely girlfriend and favourite little boy," he replied and continued, "Anyway i just arrived at the park. Where exactly are you babe? I don't fancy having to walk around the whole park looking for you guys."

"We're right by the playground baby," she told him, chuckling at his joke a moment earlier. Having relayed the information he wanted, she hung up the phone and waited for his arrival.

Lindsay and Mason had been dating for about four months. Despite knowing that she had a son, he still constantly asked her out. She had constantly turned him down, not ready for another relationship. She decided to humour him though so she said yes four months ago.

She was glad that she made that decision. Mason was an absolute angel. He never argued with her over petty things, never annoyed or frustrated her. He was such a gentleman that every girl would be lucky to have.

Then why did she feel like something was missing? That he wasn't right for her. Secretly she knew what he lacked. That was the thing that she was attracted to the most. So far she had only met one person that had that quality. And he was a million miles away.

Feeling a soft kiss being placed on her cheek, Lindsay opened her eyes to see her handsome boyfriend.

Mason Fray was the kind of guy that every girl could dream of dating. He had amazing sea green eyes that would make anyone loose themselves in. He had amazing brown hair that he always styled nicely. He had the kind of smile that could make a girl go weak in the knees.

Lindsay stared into his green eyes and gave him a chaste kiss. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hey beautiful," he replied her, making her blush. He put his arm around her and peppered kisses into her hair. Lindsay smiled at his gesture and leaned her head on his shoulder, watching Aidan play.

After letting her dear son frolick around the playground for a little while longer, she decided that its was about time that they left. Aidan, being the obedient little kid that he was, grabbed on to both the adults' hands and they were off.

Aidan had quite easily grown a relationship with Mason. Over the years that the two cliqued a lot. They did almost everything together. On his days off, they would go to the park and play for hours, giving Lindsay some time to chill.

It took the three of them around fifteen minutes to get to Lindsay's two bedroom apartment by car.

She reached her hand into her purse and brought out her keys. Unlocking the door, she dumped her bag and keys by the door.

Aidan ran in, his little hand tugging on Mason's bigger ones. "Pway wif me uncle Mase," Aidan asked excitedly.

"Sure kiddo, relax a little," Mason chuckled while being pulled to Aidan's room.

Laughing, she headed to the kitchen to start preparing dinner for the three of them.

Within the hour they were well fed and we're going about usual nightly routine.

Collapsing on their beds, the three doze off to an undisturbed slumber.

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The morning light shone through the curtains in Lindsay's room, causing her to awake from her peaceful slumber.

Checking the time on the clock on her bedside table, she groaned. They had to be in work in 2 and a half hours. Knowing how long they normally took to get ready, now was the best time to wake up.

She turned around in Mason's strong grip. Shaking his shoulders, she attempted to wake him up. "Mase, Mason, wake up. We gotta go to work," Lindsay mumbled groggily, her accent thick with slumber.

The only response she got was a mumble and him settling back to sleep. Getting annoyed, she shook his shoulders more vigorously. "It's already six. GET UP. We need to wake Aidan up too," she said.

"Alright, alright, I'm up. Quit your shaking," Mason chuckled as he pulled her into his arms for a wake up kiss. "Mornin beautiful," he greeted her. "Mornin," she replied, giggling as his arms thread around her waist.

"Pancakes, babydoll?" Lindsay grinned in reply and soon they were seated at the dining table, Mason flipping batter, the sizzling smell of butter and coffee accompanying the sounds of their banter.

In two hours, they were ready to leave. They dropped Aidan off at his daycare near the lab and headed into work, hand in hand.

They dropped their bags off in their lockers and started to process the evidence that they had on their latest case.

Unfortunately for them, most of the evidence they had had led them to a dead end. They were swimming in piles of useless evidence.

They had been processing for about two hours when their boss, Russel, to check up on their progress.

"Lindsay, Mason, what'dya got so far?" he inquired. "Not much. Minimal DNA and fingerprints. We got a bit of trace from the vic's clothes. Whether it's useful or not is yet to be determined. Other than that though, we've got nothing," Lindsay sighed, extremely frustrated that they hadn't got much.

Feeling Mason's comforting hand on the small of her back, she calmed down a little.

"Well I've got some good news for you. I cross-referenced the case to the database of other labs and got a hit. Same MO and murder weapon. They said that they would send the lead CSI on that case here. He should be here in a while," he said.

Lindsay's eyes lit up when she heard it. "Finally they might get a break through in the case," she thought.

"Which lab?" she questioned her superior enthusiastically.

"The New York Crime Lab," he replied.

When that piece of news reached her ears, the smile on her face vanished instantly.

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	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys, check out my latest story New Life. I'll try and update both of these as frequently as I can. The minute I'm done with it and it's gone through a round of editing, I'll post it so keep a look out. Please read and review both my stories. Hopefully you guys would like the other one too. And now on with the story...

Chapter 9

She blinked. Surely she had heard him wrong. Maybe she just missed the lab a little. "Yeah, yeah I just heard him wrong," she thought.

"Wh-wh-what?" she asked, hoping that she had indeed heard him wrong. "The New York Crime Lab," he reiterated, slightly confused by her reaction, "is there a problem with that?" he asked.

"N-n-no no, absolutely not. No problems on my part," she blurted out.

"OK then, they'll be here soon so get ready to work," he said, walking out of the lab.

Seeing Lindsay's reaction to the news, Mason grew concerned. "What's bothering you?" he asked her, attempting to understand how she was feeling.

When he didn't get an answer, he held on to her shoulders and shook them lightly, trying to get her attention. "Linds, look at me," he said, tilting her head up towards him.

"What's wrong hon?" he enquired gently.

"Nothing, nothing I'm just wondering who Mac's gonna send. Mac's the boss of the crime lab. I'm just hoping against hope that he isn't going to send Danny," she explained.

Mason was confused. "Why was she talking as if she knew so much about that lab? Why is she so worried about who they'll send? More importantly, who the hell was Danny?" he thought to himself.

Realising that he'd actually get some answers if he just asked her, he fired them at her.

"Mason, slow down alright. Let me explain. I transferred here from New York remember? I'm just worried that they'd send Danny. He's my ex and also is Aidan's father. We ended our relationship quite abruptly. We didn't even talk about what happened. I was so hurt that I just broke up with him and came here. I don't know if I can handle seeing him again," Lindsay explained.

The notification coming from both their phones stopped them from their conversation. It was Russel telling them to meet him in his office as the investigator had arrived.

"Don't worry Linds, we can get through this together. If it is him, well he isn't going to bother you. Not while I'm here. Ok," he comforted her.

Seeing her nod, he reached out, held her hand and made the trip to Russel's office,where they would see just how much trouble Lindsay would be in.

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Rounding the corner to Russel's office,she saw the distinct figure of someone sitting on Russel's couch.

Just by looking at the person's back, Lindsay could tell that it was Danny.

His unique body shape and the hair that she used to toy with at night was forever etched in her memory. She would be able to identify him anywhere.

Walking into the office after Mason, she could see the shock on his face upon seeing her.

He looked different. He was still as attractive as ever, no doubt about that. His hair was longer than what it was when she left. Granted that was two years ago.

He looked tired. That was what hit her the most. Looking into his eyes the only thing she saw was longing and fatigue. One more feature of him was missing - his glasses. They were absent.

She heard Russel introduce her to him. She smile and nodded in his direction, not giving any indication that she knew him.

She saw Danny's blue orbs disappear for a split second under his eyelids, trying to focus on whether what he was seeing was real. They flickered from her face to her hands that were intertwined with Mason's and lastly to Mason's face.

"As you all know, Danny, you are here to help us solve the case. The similarities between the two cases are too unhiemlich for them to be separate. The TOD of the vics also make it possible for the perp to be in both New York and here. Use the resources that we have and your brains and solve this as fast as possible please," he briefed them.

With that he walked out of the office. leaving the others to follow suit and get some work done.

Following Russel was Lindsay, Danny and Mason in that specific order. Mason could tell that Danny wanted to talk to Lindsay but he couldn't let that happen. He'd be damned if he let that city boy take his girl away from him.

Danny couldn't believe it. He had dreaded going to Boston for the case. But now, he was incredibly thankful to Mac for letting him go. Ever since she left, he'd been a mess.

For a while, he had stopped sleeping and eating, focusing all his energy and time on his work.

He had ended up getting hospitalised after collapsing in the lab. The doctor told him that he had to eat regularly and get proper rest. He couldn't do that. He was lost without her.

He knew that Stella and Mac would know where she went. He begged them to tell him. He was miserable. He was being punished for letting Cindy up.

After a while of them not answering him, he had accepted that it was his fate - to never see the love of his life again.

He had believed that until now. He finally saw her again. She looked stunning, beautiful as ever. All he wanted to do was embrace her and finally get a chance to explain to her what actually happened.

He was ecstatic until he looked down at her hands. They were clasped firmly with the guy standing next to her. He could tell that they were more than just friends - they were standing way too close for that.

He looked up to the guy's face. He heard Russel introduce them. He looked at Lindsay to see her merely nod at him, not even acknowledging that they knew each other. Deciding to follow her lead, he did the same.

He also found out that the guy that he was about ready to manhandle was Mason Fray, Lindsay's partner. He heard Russel briefing them so he had to stop the tirade of questions running through his mind to listen to him.

His aim during his time in Boston was to get her back, that much he had decided. He was not going down without a fight.

After Russel concluded the briefing and left, he saw Lindsay hurry out after him. Getting up, he ran after her, hoping to get some time to talk to her before Mason showed up.

He reached Lindsay's office shortly after she did. "Linds, wh-wh-what're you doin here?" he managed to mumble out.

"I work here," she deadpanned. He could hear the sarcasm, fury and hurt in her voice. But it was still the sweetest voice he had ever heard. He hadn't realised how much he missed it until he heard it.

"Linds don't be like that, please. Just let me explain what happened alright. You have no idea how much I miss you. I - " That was all he managed to get out before Lindsay's rage got the best of her.

"Look Danny, you came here to help solve the case right?" she paused, waiting for a response. Seeing him nod, she continued, "Let's just do that. Pretend that you and I have never met before this. Let's just get through this professionally, alright," she told him, her voice stern.

Danny opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Lindsay's new boyfriend. "Hey babe, sorry I'm late. A lab tech needed help," he said with a smile.

"Babe. Babe?" Danny thought. He had no right to call Lindsay babe. Lindsay was his and no one else's. That Mason character was soon becoming Danny's most hated person.

He heard Lindsay start talking about the case and he knew that he had lost the opportunity to talk to her. He would never give up though.

He couldn't take his eyes off her though. He tried with every fibre of his being to ignore her and focus on the case but he couldn't.

He kept looking over at her. One thought kept circling around his mind though. That was one that he already knew. And that was that he was still madly in love with her.

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Hey guys. Please read and review. Will Danny ever find out about Aidan? Will Danny and Lindsay get back together? Those pressing questions will be answered soon. Would you guys want a fight between Danny and Mason over Lindsay? Please comment your replies. If you want it, it will be there. Thanks guys.


	10. chapter 10

Hey guys. So those who haven't, please read my other fanfic too. That one's a high school version of Dantana's relationship. It may take a while to update each cause I'm updating alternately. Happy reading though. Now, enough of me promoting the stories, on with the chapter.

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Chapter 10

She could feel it. Lindsay could feel the tension between them building. It felt the same as when she first went to New York.

He was stirring up the feelings and memories from New York that Lindsay was trying to forget. No matter how hard she tried though, she couldn't.

His smile, his eyes, the way he pushed up his glasses with the knuckle of his index finger and the way he placed his glasses on his forehead when looking into the microscope, made her stomach flutter.

Lindsay could feel the feelings she had for him swim up. But she'd be damned if she let that happen. She tried her best to ignore them, push them away.

She caught herself staring at him a couple of times. She was glad that she realised it before Danny saw. She knew that he would tease her to no end, that's what he did the last time.

She could feel the longing for him. Each time those feelings tried to pry their way out, Lindsay would bury them deep again. "For goodness sakes Lindsay, you're with Mason, snap out of it," she would chide herself.

She thought that after these two years, she wouldn't be able to work properly with him. However, she was way off. The two of them still worked as amazingly together as they did before.

They were able to bounce excellent ideas off each other. Theories that had been suggested by Lindsay and turned down by Mason were supported by Danny. They tried each and everything they could think of.

Through everything though, there was still the same bickering between them. That part hadn't faded.

It surprised Lindsay how he remembered just the right buttons to push to annoy her. It surprised her even more that she remembered the buttons to push to annoy him.

They were bickering as if nothing had ever happened between them. He had forgotten nothing about her - that much Lindsay could tell. She didn't know whether to feel happy that he remembered or angry that he acted as if nothing happened.

One thing that Lindsay was certainly happy about was that her and Danny had been given the task to find out how the murder happened while Mason had to sort through the evidence. Russel gave the two of them the strict instructions to go and help Mason once they were done.

They were actually having a tremendous amount of fun trying to reconstruct the scene. To Lindsay, reconstructing was still her favourite part of the job.

The two marvelled at how much they had progressed in those two hours that they were working on it. They had gone from nothing to something in a mere few hours. It was unhiemlich, how they managed to do that.

The sight of their fun, however, was angering the person who was watching them.

Mason had never seen Lindsay that happy with anyone other than Aidan. He had tried everything he knew to try and get her to enjoy herself.

All it took though was for this city prick to arrive and she lit up like a bulb. Sure, maybe she hadn't gotten over her feelings for him but there was no way in hell that Mason was letting Danny steal Lindsay away from him.

Mason had a clear view of the two from the DNA lab. "Thank God for glass walls," he thought. He gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing. He needed to keep an eye on them to make sure that Danny didn't pull any fast ones on his girlfriend.

His anger and jealousy fueled each time they closed the gap between them. He wanted to go over there and give Danny a piece of his mind. What could Danny possibly do anyway, hit him with a test tube? Mason had been to enough gyms in his life to be able to protect himself from that.

He looked down for a second to gather the apparatus that he'd need for his upcoming experiment. Looking up again, however, he saw something that caused his blood pressure to skyrocket.

Lindsay was in Danny's arms, both gazing into each other's eyes. The thing that pissed him off the most was Danny's face that was inching closer to Lindsay's, ready to close the gap between their lips.

All he saw was a hazy red. He honestly had no idea what he would do if Danny kissed her. That was his bloody girlfriend. He had worked way too hard to get her. There was no way that he was going to let Danny waltz in there and steal her away from him with his detestable charms.

A smile lit up his face as he saw Lindsay pulling away from Danny. He saw her mumble something to Danny before heading for the door and to the lab that he was in.

He didn't want her to know that he was watching her. He didn't want her to feel as if she was under surveillance. That would be bad on so many levels. Looking down, he masked his smile and continued on with the experiment.

He was definitely going to have to teach Danny a lesson soon.

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Danny could feel the tension in the room rising and he knew that Lindsay felt it too. Danny was really enjoying himself while doing the reconstruction.

He knew that after she had left, he had missed her. But only one did he know how much he missed her. Seeing her sweet smile, her beautiful eyes, her silky soft hair, hearing her melodic voice.

He longed to hold her like he did before. He tried to ignore the fact that Lindsay was dating someone else. He knew her too well.

Whenever she looked at Mason, he didn't see that usual sparkle in her eyes. When she looked at him, he could still recognise the way she used to look at him. Her eyes full of love and happiness. But now, they were mixed with sadness. Sadness at what he'd done to her.

He wished that there was a way for him to explain to her what actually happened that day. He wanted to tell Lindsay so bad.

Even if she didn't come back to him, he wanted her to know the truth. And that was that he would never betray her trust.

He needed her to know how much he still loved her. Watching her during their reconstruction made Danny smile. She was still the same as before. He couldn't believe that he actually got the chance to see her again.

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The pair were having a complete ball coming up with different ideas and trying them out. Most of the ideas weren't really that good but they tried it out anyway.

Lindsay was surprised that they had managed to do much more than her and Mason.

Sure they had been goofing off a little but they still managed to get a lot done. They had managed to establish the fact that their vics were standing in front of the perp before he pulled the trigger.

Upon finding this out, all their ideas were centred around that. After a while of goofing off, Danny had a light bulb moment.

He stood still all of a sudden with a serious look on his face, startling Lindsay slightly and causing her to burst out laughing.

"Stop laughing. I got an idea," he scolded her lightly. Quickly he explained his idea to her.

"It's possible but it would suggest that the vics knew the perp intimately judging from the proximity that you explained," she stated.

"Well then Montana, care to try it out?" he said, his hand outstretched, ready for her to take it.

Lindsay knew that she shouldn't. She could already feel the fire between them reigniting. But she couldn't help herself.

Her brain told her not to, that maybe trying it out with Mason would be a better idea. Her heart, however, told her to try it out with Danny.

"Well?" he asked, trying to get an answer out of her.

"Yeah sure, no problem," she replied him before taking his hand. Danny walked them over to one side of the room and they began trying Danny's idea out.

Lindsay stood in front of Danny, fingers poised in a gun, pointing directly at Danny.

He lunged forward and held her arm, the one with the gun, trying to push it away from him.

After much struggling, Danny ended up with Lindsay in his arms and the gun pressed to her stomach.

Holding her like that just reminded him of the old times, the love that he still had for her. She had captured and stolen his heart, not anyone else and there would never be anyone else.

Looking down into her eyes, he could see the love in her eyes too.

Seeing the passion that was being emitted from both of them, Danny couldn't resist. At that moment he didn't care that she had a boyfriend. He just wanted to taste her.

Ever so slowly, he lowered his head, wanting to capture her lips in his. Just as they were about to touch, however, Lindsay pulled away.

"Yeah so we found out how it happened, let's go tell Mason," she said before scampering out of the room, leaving a dejected Danny behind.

He knew he shouldn't have expected much. She did think that he had cheated on her after all. Sighing, he followed her out to meet Mason.

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Lindsay knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to get her feelings to resurface. She was still way too hurt to do that.

When he had held her, she finally realised how much she had missed the comfort and safety of his arms. She couldn't help but let out her feelings just a little.

She desperately wanted his lips to touch hers. Seeing him at such close proximity made her long for him. There was no denying that she still had feelings for him. That was a given.

Over the last two years she had not gotten over his feelings for him. Sure she had been mad at him for what he did but she still couldn't forget him. Her feelings for him were too strong.

When she saw him leaning down, she didn't move, wanting him to kiss her. That was until she realised what was happening and where they were.

"Snap out of it, you're with Mason remember," she reminded herself. Just as they were centimetres apart, Lindsay pulled away from him.

"Yeah so we found out how it happened,let's go tell Mason," she told him before brisk walking out of the room to where Mason was.

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"Hey Mason what have you got?" she queried as she entered the lab that he was in, Danny following behind.

"Well I found some trace on the vic's clothes and some DNA. Nothing much yet. But I was thinking, why don't we run the evidence that we got against their database and run what they have against ours," he relayed his idea to them.

"Yeah sure we could do that. Hopefully we get something," Danny agreed, trying to stare him down. Lindsay could feel the testosterone level in the room rise as both men tried to stare each other down.

"Alright guys, let's try it then. Danny and I managed to find out how it happened and it would suggest that the vics knew the perp intimately. I think we should go through everything we have about them and see if we can find anything in common," she said trying to diffuse the situation.

Seeing the both of the men nod, Danny and Lindsay both left to start off with the vics phone records, leaving Mason alone to run the evidence against the respective databases.

After a half an hour of preparing the evidence and starting to run them through the database, Mason walked to his office to help Danny and Lindsay.

Entering the office, his jealousy fueled. Danny and Lindsay were sitting beside each other, laughing and going through the phone records.

She had never been like that with him before. He hoped that him returning would make Lindsay realise that she should just forget about him but instead, it seemed like she was starting to forgive him.

"Hey Mason," Lindsay said once she noticed him standing at the doorway.

"Hey," he greeted her back before sitting down opposite them in the spare chair at the end of the room.

For the next three hours, the three of them persevered on, going through the phone records of both their vics trying to find any similarities.

In the end, they had found one number in common with both the vics. Looking at the time, they realised that it was about time they call it a day. Deciding that they would find out more about the number the next day, they got up to leave.

Lindsay walked into the locker room to get her bag with Mason hot on her heels. "What is your deal with Danny, Linds?" he asked, beyond pissed. Over the time, Danny and Lindsay talking, laughing and having fun had just angered him more. He needed to confront her about it.

"We're just friends Mason, why?" she questioned him back, noting his tone.

"Oh please Lindsay, I've seen the way you look, smile and tease him. Not to even mention how he is to you. I'm not stupid alright," he outright yelled at her. Arms folded, he looked at her expectantly for an answer.

Hearing his voice rise caused Lindsay's own fiery temper to rise. "We are just friends alright. Just because we smile, look and tease each other, doesn't mean that I'm gonna elope with him, you know. I'm with you Mason. Why the hell are you worrying so much?" she questioned him.

Taking a deep breath, Mason tried to calm down before talking to her again. "Look Linds, I think you need to figure everything out first alright. You haven't fully forgotten about him yet, that much is evident. For both our sakes, let's take a temporary break from each other, just so you can sort your feelings out without any hindrance. I'll be right here when you make your decision," he said, looking at her.

"I'm really sorry Mason. I thought that I had gotten over him, I really did. I think that your idea's good. I just need a little time. I'm really really sorry," she apologised, all the while her eyes never meeting his.

"Don't worry about it Linds, alright. I'm right here for you. If you need me, all you need to do is call. And when you're ready to come back to me, I'll be here," he told her before pulling her into a hug.

He knew for a fact that she wasn't going to go back to that low-life. After what he'd done to her, there was no way that she was going to forgive him.

He wanted to see the look on his face. The look on Danny's face when she rejects him and came running to him.

He could tell that Danny was trying to get Lindsay back. From the look that he was always giving her to all the time he spent talking to her and trying to make her remember the past. It was quite evident what he was trying to do.

Mason couldn't wait for _his_ ego to be deflated by Lindsay. Boy was he going to enjoy watching that. And he couldn't wait.

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Hey guys please rate and review. Oh and Mason insulting Danny is not my view of Danny at all. Danny is like bae. I wouldn't do that to him. Anyway love you guys.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys so I'm trying to post as much as I can but I've been quite sick with a chest infection recently so it will take me some time. But I assure you that I will continue posting new chapters as soon as I'm done with them. Anyway on with the chapter.

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Chapter 11

Lindsay knew she had to tell Danny about Aidan eventually. Aidan had wanted to know about his other parent ever since Lindsay admitted that Mason was not his father, and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep him a secret for too long.

Stomping away from Mason after their heated argument, Lindsay decided to spend the rest of the day in her cubicle, sorting through her paperwork. She spent the next few hours mumbling under her breath about her crappy microscope (its older than her parents) and overly-priced Starbucks coffee (jeez, $8 for a cup of monstrous diabetic formula? No thanks.)

She stapled a printout with more ferocity than necessary, the sharp sound earning a few concerned looks from her other colleagues. While paperwork might not seemed to be the most entertaining part of her job description, but she got to take out her frustrations on a poor innocent report sheet, without minimal distractions.

Like an angry Mason.

Or a troublesome ex from the past.

But no one could ever tolerate the harsh dull procedure of filing up moutains of spreadsheets, and soon Lindsay was out of the office like a whirlwind and ready to call it a night.

However, despite the fatigue clouding both her mind and limbs, adding on the stress of Mason being an exaggeratedly-jealous boyfriend, still she drove past the bustling districts and into the quieter part of the city, where Aidan's daycare was situated.

As she pulled up onto the curb, Lindsay could already spot her son standing near the gates alongside his teacher, Ms Nicole. At the sight of his mother emerging from the car, Aidan flung himself into Lindsay's arms, nuzzling his face into the soft material of her blouse.

"Looks like someone misses me," she teased lightly, but she caged the little boy in tightly, all drowsiness having disappeared at the mere sight of Aidan's bright smile. Lindsay turned to Ms Nicole, expression apologetic. "Sorry i'm late, things at work are getting hectic lately."

The teacher laughed, shaking her messy head of dark curks. "Don't sweat it! Aidan has always been a good boy in my class, so he's no trouble for me at all. Although," Ms Nicole added thoughtfully, "he was crying during naptime, something about having no one to play baseball with."

Lindsay looked down at her child, noting his red-rimmed, puffy eyes, and her heart nearly broke into two. "I think I have an idea about that," she murmured softly.

The only thing that came to Lindsay's mind at the word baseball was Danny. She knew that her son's love for baseball was something that he had inherited from his father. The only person that Lindsay knew who knew how to teach baseball was him. After all, he was the one who taught her how to play.

Ms Nicole bent down to Aidan's level to say goodbye to the little boy that could very easily steal the heart's of anyone he met. Lindsay wondered if Aidan got his innocent charm from his father.

After saying goodbye, Lindsay and Aidan left to get some pizza for dinner and then get some rest.

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The minute they got home, Aidan ran to his room to get some play time in before he had to go to sleep, throwing his sneakers in a mess around the front door, leaving his mother to clean up with an exasperated but fond groan. Kids these days have too much energy. She blamed the pepperoni crust and the diet coke they consumed in the car on the way home.

Lindsay followed after him into his Green Arrow themed-bedroom, smile curled on the edge of her lips as she watched him squabble with his superhero figurines, round blue eyes gleaming with excitement and incoherent babbles escaping from his throat in high squeaks. He used the Green Arrow toy to bash in Batman's head, giggling as he did so.The boy's gloomy mood earlier had already been replaced with this epitome of pure innocence and delight.

Relieved, she retreated into the living room. Sitting down on the couch with a contented sigh, Lindsay turned on the TV, wanting to relax a little.

As she got comfortable on the couch, the only thing that was lingering in her mind was Danny. For some weird reason, as the screen flickered from cartoons to reality shows, she just couldn't stop thinking about him.

All the memories that she had tried desperately to get rid off for the past years were flooding back to her. His warm hand intertwined with hers, tasting the future of all their tomorrows in the sweetness of his lips, sharing infectious laughter at Dylan O'Brien's antics as they reviewed an episode of Teen Wolf curled up against each other on the couch.

She really missed Danny.

Tears welled up in her eyes at the realisation. She immediately tried to brush them away, but they clung stubbornly to her eyelashes, fat droplets streaming down her cheeks. It was as though the dam keeping her growing frustrations and sadness at bay for the past few years suddenly broke. For minutes, Lindsay just sat under the dimmed light of her living room, rocking back and forth with her head cradled in her hands and _cried._

His sky blue eyes, perfectly soft blonde hair she likes to run her fingers through. His mouth was always curled up into the tiniest of smirks, a mischievous glint constantly in his eyes, as though he had a playful secret carefully hidden away from the world.

Lindsay knew she wasn't being fair to Mason either. He had been a caring boyfriend, always willing to pick up her broken pieces. Even if he didn't know how to mend them back together, but he sure as _hell_ tried, and she would be forever grateful.

 _I need to get Danny out of my head._

Compsing herself wasn't easy, and hearing Aidan playing in his room down the hall just made Lindsay feel more guilty. She had been keeping a father from knowing his son and a son from knowing his father. She knew that it wasn't right to keep Aidan a secret from Danny.

Even if he did cheated on her. An ugly monster in her chest reared its head at the thought, but Lindsay squashed those feelings down hard. What was in the past stayed in the past.

Thinking about it, she made up her mind about one thing. And that was that she was going to tell Danny about his son before he went back to New York.

A knock on the door interrupted her just as she was about to tuck Aidan in for the night. She wasn't expecting anyone at that time. Getting up, she went to find out who exactly the mystery guest was.

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Danny had to talk to her. "I mean she had to have felt the chemistry between them when they were reconstructing, right?"

He could tell from the look in her eyes when she pulled away from him. She had wanted that as much as he did, had yearn for his warmth as he did hers. But, being the amazing person that she was, she couldn't cheat on Mason.

Danny knew that he had no right demanding answers from her to his myriad of questions. He knew it. But at that point, he just wanted to talk to her.

He just wanted to clasp their hands together, rubbing soothing circles into her skin, to pull her closer until they shared even breaths, to give her all the affection and love she rightfully deserved.

Was it such a diffcult thing to want? To keep the person he loves most close to him?

He pulled some strings with the rest of the team that actually liked him. That was the reason that he was currently standing in front of the wooden door of her apartment, hand poised over the wood as he took a deep breath to reassure himself.

Bringing his nervously clenched fist to the door, he rapped his knuckles on it before he could change his mind. Then he waited. Praying that she wouldn't leave him stranded out in the cold after looking through the peephole.

Hoping that he wouldn't need to leave the apartment complex with a broken heart and the light of his world ripped from his fingers.

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Lindsay got the shock of her life when she opened the door. Sure she knew that he would want to talk to her but she hadn't thought that it would have been that soon.

"Hey Danny," she greeted him after she'd recovered from her moment of silent surprise. Her hands trembled from their position on the door knob, but Lindsay forced them to still, to keep her heartbeat steady and her voice even. "What can I do for you?"

"Hey Montana, can I come in?" He questioned her, motioning to himself standing out in the hallway, hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket, breath billowing like smoke in the chilly air. "Its too cold to be standing outside."

A hesitant nod. "Uh yeah sure. Come on in, I suppose."

Lindsay was at a loss for words. Her throat tightened at the sight of him, and her mind couldn't supply a conversation starter. Not with him taking a seat in her living room, cautious eyes taking in the numerous framed pictures of her and Mason, their captured grins glazed over through the glass cover.

She cleared her throat, and those eyes were averted back to her. She tried to ignore the hurt glistening in blue irises in favour of putting up her facade of a good host. "I'll pour you a cup of coffee. Hang on for a moment."

The tension in the air was daunting, like a looming stormy cloud about to set off torrents of whipping rain and cracks of thunder. Her hands needed to be occupied with something, _anything_.

Rushing to the kitchen without hearing a reply, she let loose a held breath as she began making her favourite drink, her body relaxing at the familiar movements. The coffee grinder whirled to life, the aroma of caffeine filling the space, and her head rested lightly on the microwave as she waited for the coffee beans to brew.

She spent a moment thinking, the sound of blood thumping in her ears. _What does he want to say to me? Does he still love me? Why is he here?_

Just then, she felt a pair of small hands tugging on the hem of her pants, and Lindsay was already bending down without a moment's hesitation, fingers reaching for little Aidan swamped in the fluffy lion pajamas Mason bought for him last year, his tiny fist rubbing his eyes blearily as a small yawn erupted from his mouth.

"Mama, can you read me a story?"

She laughed, scooping the boy in her arms, pressing on his cute button nose. "I was just about to put you to bed, young man. C'mon, lets go to your room." Out of the corner of her eye, Lindsay spotted Danny emerging through the doorway, as though curious in why the promised coffee was taking so long, and her limbs froze.

Aidan frowned at her sudden lack of movement, twisting his head around to stare at her. When Lindsay didn't respond, he followed her gaze to where it was trained on, and the little boy's eyes widened in surprise at a stranger in their house.

Looking down, her eyes crossed paths with similar blue eyes to the man standing before her. She couldn't help but smile at her adorable two year old son.

"Mama, who?" Aidan asked with a tinge of fascination in his voice as he motioned to Danny with chubby fingers. "He's not Uncle Mason. Who's he?"

Lindsay peered over her son's messy head of blonde hair to Danny, only to see a look of shock washing over his handsome features. She gulped nervously, tightening her hold on her son.

There was a moment of stunned silence. "Mama?" Danny's voice carried throughout the kitchen in a whisper. The words rang in her ears, disbelief and pain underlying his tone. "He's...you and someone...you're a mother?"

There was no point hiding it anymore. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for cutting words and anger as she introduced the two. She gripped her fingers with Aidan's, finding strength in the tiny warmth blossoming from her fingertips, "Danny, this is my son Aidan."

She turned to the boy cradled in her arms, her voice softening at the sight of her precious baby looking up to her expectantly. "Aidan Daniel Messer, this is Danny," her throat closed up, but Lindsay still managed to choke the words out, spewing the last part in one hurried breath.

"Your papa."

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 _Your papa._

Danny stood there like his soul left his body, shell-shocked, his limbs going numb and rigid. The cogs in his brain seemed to stop turning, and the wires connecting his brain to his mouth malfunctioned, and the only thing that ran past his lips was a quiet "Oh".

 _He had a son._

Aidan seemed to be just as shocked. The little boy was staring at him intently with wide eyes, as though he couldn't believe he had a father. Danny wondered how he grew up all alone with only his mother and Mason to keep him company, sad blue eyes trailing on every pair of parents whom came to his daycare to pick his friends up, and his heart gave a painful squeeze.

"Hello Aidan," he stooped down until they were of eye-level, his gaze running over Aidan's eyebrows, lips, face shape; trying to memorise every feature of this beautiful tiny human that existed. The boy squirmed in his mother's hold, uncomfortable and shy, Lindsay shooting Danny a warning look, but Danny refused to waver.

He reached forward tentatively, callused fingers brushing over smooth cheeks lined with baby fat. Tears threatened to blurr his vision, because he's _touching his son_ , this little angel that looked so much of Lindsay and him combined.

"You're a beautiful boy," Danny began ruffling his hand through Aidan's fluffy honey-blond locks, chuckling as the toddler pouted at him from messing up his hair. He raised himself back to his full-height, eyes full of affection at the boy that looked remarkably like him.

Lindsay coughed slightly. "You can carry him...if you want."

Danny shook his head, alarmed at the sudden offer, but Lindsay was determinedly striding forward and gently coaxing Aidan into his arms. His limbs tangled around the toddler awkwardly, and he panicked internally as his arm dipped with the sudden weight.

"Wait a minute! I can't just - " He spluttered out, horrifying scenarios of accidentally dropping his son playing in his head. But the worry soon ebbed away the moment Lindsay clutched his hand, her warm brown eyes loving and full of trust. He stilled, motionless as she helped to rearrange his awkward position, her fingertips leaving a trail of fire on his skin in their wake.

Soon, Aidan's head was rested on his shoulder, face buried in the crook of his neck as Danny swayed gently in the middle of the kitchen tiles, one hand patting the child's back gently, the other supporting Aidan as he curled into Danny's warmth.

The dull evening rays poured in through the kitchen shutters, casting a golden glow over the two, giving an image of stardust powdered in their hair and the sun glowing in their blue eyes, fiery gold clashing with stormy azure.

They seemed to be in a world of their own.

Lindsay could feel the lump of relief rising in her throat, that Aidan no longer would worry about the identity of his father, that Danny looked at Aidan with so much adoration and love in his eyes, as though he had loved Aidan right from the very beginning when the boy was born into the world.

A stray tear trickled down her eye. Danny looked up to give her a blinding grin, a grin that was different from his normal ones. This was a look of pure bliss and happiness, of a man who found another light to look forward to on the horizon whenever he waked.

She replied back with an equally as wide smile, her chest constricting with so many emotions at once that it was hard to keep track.

"Would you like to read him a story for bedtime?" Lindsay asked quietly, voice soft and fond. "I must warn you however, he only likes reading The Little Mermaid."

Danny brushed his nose against Aidan's ear, eliciting a squeal from his son, and he barked a hearty laugh. "The Little Mermaid? Aren't you a little old for princess stories?"

Aidan showed Danny his infamous puppy eyes, and Lindsay tried to contain her laughter as the man's restraint immediately melted at the sight of big eyes and pouty lips. "But Ariel is sooo pretty. Can you please read it to me," the boy paused for a moment, before adding on shyly, "Papa."

"Well, if that's what you want, i'll give it to you."

Danny led the way to Aidan's room with his son in his arms and Lindsay close behind. He still couldn't believe that he had a son. He knew that natural instinct would be to be mad at Lindsay for keeping such a huge secret. But he didn't feel any of that. The only thing he could feel, however, was pure love for his son and the woman standing in front of him.

After about fifteen minutes of laughter erupting from Aidan's room, with Danny's hilarious imitation of Ariel's voice sending Aidan into peels of hysterical laughter. Silence encapsulated the house as Danny and Lindsay exited their son's room, careful not to wake the sleeping boy.

"Linds, we need to talk," Danny's voice echoed down the hallway as they trooped to the living room. His cheerful demeanour from earlier reverting to something akin hurt and puzzlement. Lindsay froze, her nerves tingling.

"I'm really sorry for keeping you away from him. I really am. I was going to your apartment to tell you then I caught you with _her._ I just wanted to get out of there," she admitted.

"Linds, I'm not mad at you. And I don't blame you. But you have to know what actually happened that day. Just hear me out alright. And if you don't feel the same after that then... " he trailed off, the thought too hard to bear.

"Fine," she said, knowing exactly what he had left unsaid. She led him to the couch and they both sat down ready to finally talk about what happened between them.

"That day after I called you, I wanted to do something special for you - make you your favourite dinner. I was in the kitchen for a while and there was a knock on the door. I thought it was you so I opened it but instead it was Cindy. She never really liked me breaking up with her."

"She forced herself into the apartment. We were talking and I tried to get her to leave. Then she kissed me. My hands were on her shoulders cause I was trying to push her away. I swear Linds, I didn't cheat on you. I would never do that to you," he explained, hoping she would understand.

Lindsay took a moment to comprehend what he just told her. She knew that he was telling the truth. His voice always got slightly deeper when he was being honest.

All this time, she had thought that he'd cheated on her but he hadn't. He was always faithful.

"Danny I'm so sorry, I -" Lindsay apologised as Danny cut her off.

"Linds, you have nothing to be sorry about. To you I had cheated. And you reacted. I should have tried harder to explain it to you. I should not have even let her into my apartment in the first place. I'm sorry Linds," he explained with his head down.

Lindsay couldn't stand seeing him like that. Sure it had been two years but she'd be lying if she said that she didn't still have feelings for him.

She sat herself closer to Danny on the couch and took his hand. The feel of her softer, smaller hands on his caused his head to shoot up and look at her.

"It was both our faults. We both have things that we regret doing. Let's just try our best to forget what happened alright," she told him, knowing that blaming themselves was not going to help anyone.

Danny nodded his head. He looked up to her perfect features. He just wanted to put his arms around her - to feel her in his arms.

He pulled their entwined hands to his chest and pulled her towards him. He immediately felt better once his arms were around her. He could feel her head on her chest and the sigh that escaped from her lips.

After a long moment, the pair reluctantly pulled away from each other, both equally wanting to hold the other slightly longer.

"Aidan's a really amazing little boy you know. You did really great with him. I know I just met him and all but I'm already starting to love him. He kinda reminds me a lot of you," he sincerely told her, thinking of the amazing little boy that they created together. To Danny, Aidan was a product of their love - a true gift from God.

"Oh please, our son is like a carbon copy of you. But thanks anyway," she chuckled.

Hearing her call Aidan _their son_ made his heart leap in his chest. His eyes flickered from her eyes to her luscious lips. He remembered spending hours just on her lips - kissing her and exploring every inch of that sweet mouth of hers.

He couldn't help it. He just wanted to taste her again. Slowly, he inched his head towards hers, waiting for her to give him her consent by moving her head too.

Lindsay wanted to kiss him as bad as he did. After finding our what actually happened, she couldn't help but be mad at herself. Now that she knew he hadn't done anything wrong, she wanted him even more.

She saw his face getting closer to hers then stop. She knew that as much as he wanted to ravish her, he would only do it with her consent, that was just the kind of man that he was. Seeing his face just centimetres away from hers made all the walls that she had built break open.

She moved her face forwards and met his lips in a kiss. Years of pent up longing and passion flooded the both of them as their mouths danced to a synchronised rhythm.

Both Danny and Lindsay marvelled at how amazing the other still tasted after two years apart. Minutes flew by before they broke apart, chests heaving and resting their foreheads against the other's.

"Wow, that was..." Danny started, unable to find the words to describe how much he loved the kiss.

"I know," Lindsay shared the exact same feelings as Danny.

After both their breathing had returned to normal, they readjusted themselves on the couch. Lindsay sat, tucked into Danny's side, her head on his shoulders as his arm was draped around her body protectively.

Lindsay relaxed her head on his shoulders and snuggled up closer to him. Knowing that they would feel quite uncomfortable soon, Danny lowered himself to a lying position, bringing Lindsay with him.

He put both his hands around her, pulling her as close to him as humanly possible. He had missed holding her and feeling the warmth of her body as he slept. Hopefully he's get the chance to feel that again.

They both relaxed in each other's arms, sighing contently, with slightly drooping eyelids. And that was exactly how they spent the entire night - entangled in each other's comfort.


End file.
